 Roman Catholic Church – influential, extravagant, and
worldly.
 People were concerned over the actions of the Church.
Dissatisfaction
Financing Basilica
Working Off Sins
•Financial corruption
•Abuse of power
•Immorality
•People lose respect
for priests, monks,
and popes
•Heavy taxes imposed
by the church cause
unhappiness in
Church members
•Needed money for
St. Peter’s Basilica
(church in the Vatican
City)
•Pope Leo X approved
the sale of
indulgences – paying
for forgiveness of sins
•Catholics believed
that the dead went to
purgatory and worked
off the sins they
committed
•Church said that
buying indulgences
reduced the amount
of time in purgatory.
•Widely criticized
 Criticism of the Roman Catholic Church
 Humanists believed that the Church was more
interested in making money than saving souls.
 Many believed the pope acted as a political leader
instead of a moral leader.
 Priests engaged in misconduct instead of moral
behavior.
 People called for a change in the ways of the church,
but they were ignored.
 After they were ignored the humanists encouraged
them to withdraw from the Church and meet with
people who shared their same beliefs.
John Wycliffe
 Believed church
should give up its
worldly possessions.
 The church was angry
about his position on
this issue.
 Removed him from
position as teacher in
the Church.
Jan Hus
 Preached against
immorality and
worldliness in the
Church.
 Excommunicated by
Pope Gregory XII
 Later arrested, tried for
heresy, and burned at
the stake
•These two men openly criticized the Church.
•Their criticisms led to discussion among Church members that
eventually started the Reformation.
Martin
Luther
 Wrote The Ninety-Five Theses
 Said that selling indulgences was sinful
and that indulgences would not forgive sin.
 Criticized the power of the pope and the
growing wealth of the Church.
 Nailed the theses to the doors of the
church so that people would read them as
they came to the church.
 Published the theses and distributed them
across Europe.
 Causes an increase in the desire for reform
 Marks the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.
Church’s
Response
German Diet
Edict of Worms
Protestant
•1520 – Pope Leo X
expelled Luther
from the Church
•1521 – Luther
summoned to
appear before the
Holy Roman
Emperor, Charles V
•Luther appears
before the emperor
and the German
Diet in the city of
Worms
•Refused to change
his opinions on the
church
•Emperor hands
down the Edict of
Worms
•Declared Luther to
be an outlaw
•Condemned his
writings
•But Luther’s ideas
continue to spread
•Charles V tried to
suppress Luther’s
teachings, but
people had already
began to follow
them.
•Followers were
called Lutherans
•German princes
had decided to
follow Luther and
protested the
suppression of
their beliefs – this
is where the term
Protestant comes
from.